Brent Bryant, the city's economic development coordinator, said details of an agreement being drafted with mall owner General Growth Properties will be presented Tuesday to the Oklahoma City Development Trust, which oversees the city's jobs and retail incentives programs.

The deal would, if successful, result in a 182,000-square-foot Von Maur store, the first in Oklahoma.

“General Growth acquired the Sears store in May, and it's set to close on Feb. 1,” Bryant said. “We've been in discussions about replacing Sears with a store to keep the mall vibrant and expand the city's tax base.”

Officials with General Growth and Von Maur could not be reached for comment Friday. Von Maur first opened in the late 1800s in Davenport, Iowa. It remained a single store operation until the 1960s, when it began an extended expansion that now includes 29 stores in 13 states.

Von Maur is known for creating an upscale shopping experience that includes antique furnishings as part of the decor, an in-store pianist during business hours and free year-round gift wrapping. The stores carry a variety of national and specialty brands, including Coach, Kate Spade, Free People, Eileen Fisher and Tommy Bahama.

Von Maur, unlike many of its competitors, is privately owned and is one of only two family-owned and run department store chains in the country. (The other one is Belk.)

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by Steve Lackmeyer

Business Reporter

Steve Lackmeyer is a reporter and columnist who started his career at The Oklahoman in 1990. Since then, he has won numerous awards for his coverage, which included the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the city's Metropolitan...